NFLPA names Melvin Gordon this week’s Community MVP

Chargers running back Melvin Gordon didn’t have practice on Tuesday, so he joined more than 1,000 other volunteers at the Los Angeles Meal Pack.

The event was one of four meal-packing events around the country on September 11 designed to feed children, elderly people and veterans. The volunteers at the Los Angeles event packed 250,000 non-perishable meals and Gordon’s efforts led the NFLPA to recognize him as this week’s Community MVP.

“By being involved in charitable efforts like serving meals to veterans on 9/11 Day, I’m reminded how much volunteering can not only make a difference to people in need, but also how important it is to show my fans — especially kids who look up to me as role model — that I care,” Gordon said in a statement. “I want to thank the NFL Players Association for this award.”

Gordon also has started the Beyond the Flash Foundation that focuses on providing educational resources for children as well as supporting food-insecure kids. The NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to Gordon’s foundation or a charity of his choice and he will be a candidate for the Alan Page Community Award at the end of the season.

It is a shame that the honor was I am sure was done to try to offset the Kneeling narrative. Both sides spin, I am sure that there were plenty of other community programs being done but the others didn’t fit into the message they wanted to send to off set the argument against the kneeling.

The NFLPA’s reputation is so bad, that they have to do something to show that some of their members actually do something positive.

I’m not trying to take anything away from all the good that Gordon (and others do), but an NFLPA award for community involvement is a desperation move by the union to try and improve the public’s perception of the players.

The NFLPA would be better served to not always defend players that actually do many egregious things. When you don’t defend the indefensible, you don’t have to worry about sullying your reputation.